Why Jordan Henderson is the right man to replace Steven Gerrard and lead Liverpool

Henderson, 24, has mimicked Gerrard during his injury absence of late with the stand-in skipper proudly wearing the captain’s armband.

The former Sunderland midfielder’s recent display against Burnley conveyed it most.

A long-range goal, a knee-slide celebration in front of the Kop, and a stunning assist are all trademarks of the current Liverpool skipper.

But Henderson was the man doing all of the above as Gerrard – nursing a hamstring injury he has now recovered from – watched from afar.

Simply being similar to Gerrard in flashes does not make him the new Kop icon, but he can be a leader in a different way.

Gerrard made his Liverpool debut as a fresh-faced 19-year-old back in 1998 and it was clear the local boy was going to be a Kop star from the off.

He may have had to battle injury problems in his early days and had a bit of a struggle playing out of position before nailing down his place, but he has been the driving force behind Liverpool for more than a decade.

IMPROVING: Jordan Henderson goes from strength to strength [GETTY]

“Man United still haven’t replaced Roy Keane but they were still successful when he went. You have to find a different way”

Jamie Carragher

While Gerrard has been the machine that for so long has made the Reds tick over, Henderson is more a vital part in the engine.

The Sunderland-born midfielder arrived on Merseyside in 2011 for an eyebrow-raising £20m and life at Anfield was stop-start.

Many questions were raised as to why Liverpool paid so much for a player that appeared to offer so little.

He was even given the chance to quit the Reds when Brendan Rodgers took over in 2012 from Kenny Dalglish as part of a deal to lure Clint Dempsey from Fulham.

But he refused to throw the towel in on the fight to be a Liverpool star, and that was the first sign that he had the determination needed to turn his Anfield career around.

Henderson’s progression was still slow, but he finally secured a regular place in Rodgers’ starting line-up and was a crucial player in their Premier League title push last season.

There were many reasons why the Kop’s title challenge fell apart, and one of them was Henderson’s absence for the defeat by Chelsea and the killer blow to their dream at Selhurst Park when they gave up a lead against Crystal Palace.

Henderson’s rise was slow and steady, but that £20m paid to the Black Cats looks more of a bargain with every impressive display.

There were still questions raised when Rodgers appointed him vice-captain last summer, but again he has stepped up.

It appeared he was trying a bit too hard when he took on Chelsea’s Diego Costa in a tunnel fracas after the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final in January.

But since then he has become more vocal on the pitch and continues to lead a Gerrard-less side with pride.

He will never fill the boots of the departing club captain, who jets off to LA this summer. Nobody will.

Former Red Jamie Carragher put it best last week when he pointed out that the team will need to be strengthened as a whole when Gerrard leaves.

He said: “I don’t think you can replace him, as in getting a carbon copy of him as a player but that doesn’t mean the team can’t continue to be successful.